Hello, I am looking into purchasing a 1994 ls400 for around 3k with 260k miles and seller says it has transmission issues. I was wondering if there’s any common problems or any idea on what it could be. I am a pretty broke high school graduate and wanted to see if anyone had an estimate of about how much it would cost to repair any common issues as long as the transmission goes, thanks.

 

The transmission in this car is nearly bulletproof. Most problems are caused by something else (ECU...), or, the transmission is truly at end of life and the clutches are toast. And you don't fix that.

Troubleshooting a mystery LS400 is not something I would recommend to a broke high school kid, only because of the broke part. There are cheap cars and there are cheap cars, the LS400 is the latter.

 

Too many miles and too many potential unknowns with the car. There is probably a lot more that's been neglected than the transmission

If you absolutely have to have a car right now to get around, find something more basic, and possibly a little newer, like a Corolla

If you really want an LS 400, I would wait until you start working and save some money, so you can build your life and have the resources you need to own the car or to repair one (if you buy one that needs work).

That $3k would be a great investment into a trade school or to help fund some courses if you decide you want to pursue a college degree. Good luck

 

Transmissions need to be maintained. You'd want to request the service history of the transmission. Fluid does break down if its not replenished and clean. Any transmission can suffer damage if neglected or abused.